The Thereza Christina Maria collection is composed of 21,742 photos assembled by Emperor Pedro II (1825-91) throughout his life and donated by him to the National Library of Brazil. The collection covers a wide variety of subjects. It documents the achievements of Brazil and Brazilians in the 19th century and also includes many photographs of Europe, Africa, and North America. This photograph of the Pedra da Gávea was taken by Brazilian landscape photographer George Leuzinger (1813-92). Because of its location and composition, the rock has eroded over time, so ...